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Maximum Ride 36 Perfect Halves of the Puzzle
(Flash back Third Person Fang Pov.)
Fang sat looking through the bars of his dog crate, his head in his hands. He'd been stuck in the crate longer than normal. Usually the white coats came and took him for experiments and blood work every hour or two. But today they hadn't even shown up. Maybe they've forgotten about me, Fang thought hopefully. He didn't care for the white coats at all. Usually when they came he just stayed quiet and resisted with his actions rather than his words.
His wings felt cramped up under his shirt so he extended them slightly. He couldn't even let them out a quarter of the way the cage was so small. He only just had enough room to stretch his legs out if he was sitting up. Fang sighed and rubbed his face. Then his head snapped up as he heard foot steps stop outside of the room his cage was in alone.
Fang leaned forward and pressed his face against the cold, metal bars. The foot steps stopped outside and Fang could tell there were two pairs. Then voices started leaking into the room. Fang leaned closer against the bars and strained to listen. "-could be a catastrophe. Who knows what their initial reactions would be?" This voice belonged to a woman. Fang had heard her before several times, she was usually the one who came for him, but never actually talked to her. Truthfully, he'd never talked to anyone though he knew how. But he let them think he didn't...it made his life just a tiny bit easier.
A second voice spoke up and Fang frowned. He didn't recognize this man's voice. "Not could but would Doctor. I've already gained permission from the Director even though she does not agree with me. All I need is your confirmation. I firmly believe that this is a good idea. The experiments are strong enough to handle this by now since they are nearly the same age at five and besides it would give us a better idea of their social and psychological development."
There was a short pause and then the woman said, "Fine. I'll allow temporary custody of Subject 2 to be transferred to you." The woman didn't sound at all happy about this arrangement. Fang could imagine her crossing her arms over her chest and shifting her weight more onto one foot.
Fang heard the man chuckle and some papers shuffle as if he were flipping through a folder. "I see you have no name for him," he commented lightly. The woman snorted and said in a dismissive voice, "Why should it have a name? It's Subject 2 as far as anyone is concerned. Just because you saw fit to let yours have it's own name despite its despicable attitude and complete disrespect doesn't mean I should give my experiment that same privilege."
"Just an observation Doctor," the man said calmly. He paused and when his voice spoke again it sounded very convincing.
"What do you say to a little wager Doctor?" The woman was silent for a moment and then her voice spoke a little softer than before. "What kind of wager Doctor Batchelder?" Fang heard the man chuckle and then his voice was so low he could only just make it out.
"If Subject 2 and my experiment's reactions are indeed on the progressive scale then you will sign over control and ownership of Subject 2 to me."
"And if they go for each others throats?"
"Then I'll sign over my own charge to you."
"But you've dedicated years to that project! Why are you so willing to put that all on the line with a bet you have no way of knowing you'll win?" The woman's voice was suspicious and Fang's curiosity was even more peaked.
"Oh I'm fairly confident my Subject will come through with my expectations. She may be un-cooperative much of the time but she's quite...reliable."
"You sound as if you actually trust it," the woman snarled. "On the contrary," the man broke in quickly. "I've simply noticed over the years that she has a very strong willed and unmoving personality."
"And you think that will help your odds in our bet?" The woman asked skeptically. "Yes," Doctor Batchelder replied simply.
Fang cocked his head in confusion but in the next instant he was crawling backwards as fast as he could as both white coats walked into the room. Immediately they came up to his cage and the woman leaned down to peer in at him. "Subject 2, come with me now." Fang looked at her with a completely blank expression and when he didn't move she huffed and snapped straight up. "Guards!"
Fang instantly regretted not just getting out of his cage as the lab door burst open and two fully morphed Erasers loped inside. One grabbed his cage and held it upside down so that he was lying on the door while the other undid the latch. Fang fell to the floor with a humph and lay winded for a moment before strong arms wrapped under his own and wrenched him to his feet.
The Eraser's claws dug painfully into his arms and he winced but didn't cry out. The woman walked in-front of him and glared down at him before turning to the man, Doctor Batchelder she'd called him, and saying, "Where do you want to do this?"
"How about on the field? Take him to the far side and place him even with where that old bench is. It will act as sort of middle ground so to speak.. We'll set them out on separate sides and...well, we'll see what happens." He smiled and Fang noticed that this made the glasses he wore rise up slightly on his cheeks. The woman nodded and snapped her fingers.
The Erasers shoved Fang forward and he stumbled down the hallway with them panting just behind him. Fang wished they would brush their teeth or something. Their breath smelled worse than they looked and that was saying something.
They continued down the plain white hallways for about a minute before coming to a heavy metal door. Fang knew that this door led outside. He'd been outside many times before and none of his experiences had been even remotely good. Usually he just ended getting chased or into fights. Why should this trip be any different? He thought as he was pushed out into the blistering heat.
As Fang walked out he realized that no other mutants where on the field. This wasn't normal. Usually there were others who were either fighting or being chased by Erasers. Never before had he been out when no one else was on the field. "Stay here and don't move or else," one of the Erasers growled and Fang realized they had come to a stop. He glared at the Erasers as they walked away then turned to survey his surroundings.
He was standing at the far end of the field which was mostly just sand and dust. On his right was the School. The plain white building which looked innocent on the outside was thrown out of balance by the twelve foot high chain link fence with barb wire on top which stood on his left.
Fang turned and looked through the fence with wistful eyes. Beyond it was a small group of trees. He could just imagine himself running through them. Feeling the shadows envelop him and breathing in the clean, non-antiseptic smell of the trees. He'd never even felt what a tree felt like. He had never been closer to one than he was now. He'd never once been outside of the fence.
Wind rushed past Fang then, making his shirt go up slightly in the back so that the breeze ruffled his feathers. With a sigh he extended them out the bottom of his shirt (he had no slits in them) and winced because they had been cramped up so long. He felt the wind run up under his feathers and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling. It just felt so natural. Then reality crashed down on him and he bit back a cry of frustration. What good were his wings if he couldn't fly?
Suddenly there was a crashing sound from across the field and Fang looked up automatically hiding his wings back inside his shirt again. On the other side of the field four Erasers were struggling with something or someone. Whoever, or whatever, it was they were putting up one heck of a fight, Fang thought as the four Erasers struggled to carry it across the field. One let out a curse suddenly and leapt back holding his hand. Fang caught a glimpse of dirty blonde hair but then it was gone again as the Eraser leapt back in and punched whatever had hurt him.
Fang made to take a step towards them but one of the Erasers who had escorted him out snarled and Fang leaned back. He didn't need to provoke a fight...it wouldn't help him survive here. So instead Fang watched the five make their way slowly across the clearing. After about a minute they came even with him and the Erasers dumped what they had been struggling with on the ground giving it a few good kicks before laughing and disappearing back into the School.
Fang blinked away shock as he realized it was a girl. "Go and get her big man!" The second Eraser crowed. He slapped a high five with the Eraser who had first spoken and the two jogged off the field leaving him alone with her. But Fang didn't move. Instead he stood watching the girl as she stood up and dusted herself off. She glared towards where the Erasers had disappeared and raised her middle finger at them though Fang had no idea what that meant. Then she noticed he was standing there.
She immediately bent low in a sort of crouch and raised her fists up in-front of her face. Threatened, Fang did the same though his stance was a bit wider than hers. He glared at her from across the field and she glared back. After a few moments Fang looked away but the girl's eyes remained trained on him.
Confusion clouded Fang's mind. Why did they put him out alone on the field with the girl? He hadn't really understood what the two white coats had been saying. They had been speaking too quickly and he missed some parts he thought because they had been on the other side of the door. Was he supposed to fight this girl? He'd never been sent out here not to fight. But then again he'd never been left alone with another mutant before.
It seemed the girl was just as confused though she was doing a good job of hiding it. She remained in her fighting stance but didn't advance towards him. Fang frowned, he didn't know what to do.
He raised his right foot slightly and watched as the girl's eyes snapped to it. Fang frowned and put his foot back down before raising it again. He repeated this a couple of times and was about to do it again when he heard an aggravated huff. Fang gazed at the girl again and was shocked to see that she had her hands on her hips and was rolling her eyes at him. Then, with a completely confident face, she started walking towards him.
Fang blinked away his shock at her. He'd been trying to gauge her reaction to him but then she goes ahead and just starts toward him? What was up with this girl? It was like she wasn't even afraid of him! Like she didn't think he could hurt her. Well I'll show her, Fang thought. I'm not some kid just to be messed with. If she wants a fight she's gonna get one.
No longer hesitant Fang started walking towards the girl as well. She had already closed a quarter of the distance between them and Fang sped up so that he could make up the distance. As his eyes roamed over the space between them he noticed that there was a concrete bench sitting basically in the middle of their path. That must be the bench that white coat was talking about, Fang thought. He said it would act as middle ground. We must be supposed to stop there.
Fang looked back up and saw that the girl was nearly at the bench. Her eyes roamed over it as well though her head remained turned towards Fang. Then she was standing beside the bench waiting on him. Her eyes narrowed as he approached and Fang could feel her eyes roaming over him calculatingly.
Finally he stood only two feet away from her beside the bench. He stared at her and she stared at him. This close Fang noticed things that he hadn't before. The girl was dressed in the same white pants and blue shirt as him though hers were dirtier. Fang assumed this was because she had just been dumped on the ground by the Erasers but what did surprise him was the blood. This girl had blood spotting several places of her t-shirt and pants. Fang was used to seeing blood. He'd bled loads of times but this girl seemed to be a magnet. And another thing, some of those blood spots looked fresh.
Fang's eyes continued to take in the girl despite the blood though he found it hard to take his eyes off the obvious wounds. She did indeed have blonde hair though it was layered with dark streaks. It was cut about medium length and hung loosely on her shoulders though it was sort of messy and unkept. Fang's own hair was just a bit shaggy because his next cut wasn't for a few weeks. The white coats let it get long but not too long.
The girl, Fang noticed, was also a bit taller than him and was lean. He could see muscle in her arms much like his own and frowned. She looked strong, maybe she could take him. Then he noticed all the scrapes and bruises on her arms and the blood which was slowly trickling from her busted lip. It looked fresh and Fang assumed the Erasers had done it carrying her out. But for her to come away with only a bloodied mouth, Fang thought, she must be pretty tough.
Another thing, Fang realized, was that he could see scars. There was one on her wrist and another at the crease of her elbow both on her left arm. On her right arm their was a small one in the middle of her arm on the bottom side and another that led up under her sleeve on the top. As his eyes traveled up her arm he suddenly found himself looking directly into her eyes the same as hers were boring into his.
Fang's mouth slackened slightly though it didn't drop. Those eyes. Her eyes, were so...deep. They were a dark brown which matched her face and hair perfectly. Her lashes were light and her eye brows were perfect. But as his eyes locked with hers Fang felt something stir inside of him. Fang blinked in confusion and the spell was broken. He looked away from the girl and frowned at the grit incrusted sand.
"Who are you?" Fang's head snapped up and he stared at the girl with a blank expression. She nodded at him and waved her hand. After a moment of silence Fang bit his lip and shrugged. "Okay...how about what are you?" Fang scowled at this and bit his lip shrugging. The girl huffed again and Fang got the impression that she did that a lot.
"Well fine. I don't know about you but I don't feel like getting locked up in my cage right now so I'm gonna sit down." She moved closer to Fang and he leaned backwards instinctively. The girl's brown eyes swiveled to him but she sat down anyway and put her head in her hands. Fang noticed that her eyes remained trained on him though and that her muscles were tensed. She doesn't trust me either, Fang thought.
He looked away from her, though he kept her in his peripheral vision, and glanced across the field. They were still alone and he couldn't see anyone standing beside the doors. Still, that didn't mean they weren't being watched. Fang knew from experience that the white coats liked to play mind games with him. They were probably watching from some oneway mirror or something.
"I bet they're watching us." Fang blinked at her in surprise and bit his lip. Did she read his mind? Fang didn't even know if this was possible but then again, he thought as he felt his wings lift slightly with the dry breeze, they did give him wings. He bit his lip and looked back down at the girl who was just sitting there. What if this girl could read his mind after all?
"Do you know you do that a lot?" She asked suddenly. Fang looked at her in confusion and she pointed to her busted lip. "You bite your lip. If you had fangs you'd be in a lot of pain." She chuckled and Fang frowned at her. "So what about it fangy? You gonna tell me your name or am I just gonna sit here and have a little talk with the sand people? 'Cause they sure are a lot more fun than you."
Fang's eyes widened and he glared angrily at the girl. She glared back challengingly and they stayed like that for several seconds before he looked away again and muttered, "Don't have one," under his breath. "What was that? Did it just speak?" The girl asked in mock surprise. Fang rolled his eyes and she grinned. "No seriously though," she said, waving her hand at him. "What's your name?"
"I don't have one," Fang repeated.
The girl looked up at him from where she sat in surprise. Then she looked away and for a moment they were back in complete silence. Then, she turned and said, "Would you like one?"
Fang's eyebrows rose in surprise. He'd never thought about a name for himself. He wasn't sure what many were. It's not like he got out much. But did he even want one? "I've got one," the girl said as if that made any difference. Maybe it did. Fang looked at her again and with a shrug asked, "What is it?" The girls shoulders straightened and she grinned at him. "My name is Maximum... Maximum Ride. I named myself not too long ago. Maximum because...well because and Ride for some astronaut Jeb told me about."
Fang nodded as if he understood what she'd just said but he had no idea what an astronaut was or who this Jeb guy was. He had to admit he liked her name though. It was strong. I need something strong too, Fang thought. "You can call me Max though." Fang looked at the girl, Max, and nodded.
"So what about your name then?" She frowned and took on a thoughtful expression. Fang bit his lip again. Her eyes swiveled to his face and she looked even more thoughtful. "You know what? I don't care if you don't want a name. I'm going to give you one. It'll be perfect. Hmm...," she looked him over and Fang felt her scrutiny. He didn't like it when people studied him.
"Let's see, Dark? Nah, um... Jack? No...Bob? Ha, no way, Mark? Eeeeh, nope." She named off several more, looking him up and down each time she spoke. But after about a minute of her saying names she still hadn't found one she liked. Fang still didn't understand how she knew so many. Where had she learned them?
He bit his lip again but when he saw Max looking at him he stopped and looked away. "That's it!"
"What?" Fang asked but snapped his mouth shut immediately. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Max noticed and grinned at him slyly.
"I've got the perfect thing. It's just like I said earlier. If you had fangs you would have bitten your lip off by now. It's perfect!"
"What?" Fang asked. "You're going to call me 'lip biter'?" Fang grimaced and Max rolled her eyes. "No, I'm going to call you Fang."
"Fang?"
"Yeah, Fang, even if you don't have them you might as well and besides," she said, looking him over. "Fang sounds kind of dark and you've got the hair and eyes for it." Fang had to agree with her on that one and self consciously rubbed the back of his neck.
"So, Fang," Max hung on his 'name' and Fang felt that he liked the way it sounded. "Are you going to sit down or not?" Fang frowned at Max but nodded curtly and sat down beside her. He noticed that she had slits in the back of her shirt and his frown increased. Max noticed this and looked over her shoulder before quickly turning her body to face him.
"What?" She asked defensively. Fang shrugged but his eyes narrowed. What was Max hiding? She flipped a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear and Fang watched her. Then, with a slight grin, she said, "You know what? This is my first time out here without getting into a fight. I'm shocked."
Fang felt a grin line his face and he pointed to her lip. "You call that not getting into a fight?" Max grinned and Fang noticed that her busted lip had already stopped bleeding and the swelling had gone down. "Oh this," she said, pointing to her just barely swollen lip. "This isn't anything. That Eraser got lucky with that hit. He was mad because I bit his finger. Ugh," Max's face screwed up into one of disgust. "He tasted worse than he smelled!"
She laughed and Fang chuckled. It was weird for him. He didn't often find anything funny at the School and yet with Max he was laughing...chuckling, all the time.
"How'd you get the scars?" Fang asked. He instantly regretted this though because Max's face fell and she looked away from him. Fang raised his hand but wasn't sure what to do with it so he put it back down. He wondered what to do but then Max turned back around and looked him square in the face.
"I'm not sure where all of them came from," she admitted. Fang nodded and she continued after a moment. "Like this one on the inside of my elbow," she pointed to the one he had noticed earlier. "I don't know how I got it. I remember Jeb coming in one day and saying I should follow him. Of-course I refused so the Erasers came in and dragged me out. Then they took me into this lab room and one of the Erasers pressed a black cloth over my nose. When I woke up I was back in my cage and my arm was wrapped up." Max frowned and shrugged. Fang frowned too, he had lots of scars but he knew where all of his had come from.
Suddenly a sharp breeze gusted up around them throwing grit into their faces. Fang shut his eyes and covered his face with his arms but the wind picked up and the grit pelting his face made him wince. Without realizing it Fang's wings snapped out and wrapped him up in a type of cocoon. He breathed a sigh of relief as his wings protected his body from the biting sand. He wondered if Max was okay but since he still felt her presence beside him he didn't fold his wings to look.
After a moment the wind died back down and the sand stopped whipping past Fang's wings. He opened his wings and blinked as his eyes re-adjusted. Then his head whipped around as he heard a gasp and he saw Max staring at him with wide eyes. Fang stared at her in confusion for a moment before he realized his wings were spread out beside him. Completely visible to Max whose eyes were locked on them.
Fang was on his feet in an instant and backing away from her. Max remained rooted to the bench but her mouth hung crooked and Fang could see shock written all over her face. Then she shook her head and got to her feet moving towards him. Fang backed up some more and raised his fists warningly. Max ignored this though and continued moving towards him.
Fang stopped backing up and instead leaned forward on the balls of his feet. "Don't come any closer," he warned between his teeth. Max stopped but didn't seem afraid of him. Instead she was looking at him in excitement.
"What?" Fang asked when she merely looked at him. Max grinned and said, "When I asked you what you were you didn't answer. Why?"
Fang frowned, this was not what he had expected. Honestly he thought she would attack him because of what he was. Because of his wings. The Erasers and other mutants always attacked him the second they saw his wings. But Max hadn't and still wasn't in a fighting stance. She even stopped when he told her too.
His head cocked to the side in confusion but he decided that since she'd already seen his wings he might as well answer. "I don't know that I can trust you." Max frowned but nodded in understanding. "But you have wings like...well you've got wings. So that means you're part bird right?"
"Yeah I guess. I'm not part bat if that's what you mean." Max laughed. Fang didn't though his lips twitched. "'Kay so let me get this straight. You have wings, are part bird and an experiment here?"
"Uh, yeah," Fang said.
Max's mouth lifted into a smile and she said, "I always thought I was alone."
"What makes you think you aren't now? So what if I have wings? What does that matter to you?" But instead of answering his question Max grinned and said, "This is why it matters." Then she stood up straight and from just below her shoulders brown and white wings emerged. Now Fang was the one whose eyes were wide and his mouth dropped slightly before he was able to regain his composure.
Fang opened his mouth to speak but closed it. He repeated this several times and then was finally able to find his voice. "Wha-...?" Max grinned at him and pointed to his own wings which were still sticking out beneath his shirt. "We're both avian hybrids. Both part bird. I thought I was the only one. I was sure Jeb was just joking when he said he'd give me a friend like me. But here you are!"
Max smiled at him and pumped her wings up and down making the dust and dirt whoosh under them. Fang felt his own wings twitching as he watched hers and realized that was why she had slits in the back of her shirt. "You know you could let your wings out better if you had slits in them," Max said and once again Fang thought she was reading his mind.
Max pointed to the bench and motioned for him to sit down. Fang still wasn't sure if he could trust her but he'd never once met anyone like him before. For some reason, he just felt that he could trust Max. Maybe it's because she's like me, he thought as he shuffled past her and sat down on the bench.
Max nodded and sat down beside him telling him to turn around. Fang did so cautiously and asked, "How do you plan on cutting slits? You don't have anything sharp."
"Who says I don't?" Max said and Fang tried to turn around but she held his shoulders in place. "Trust me," she said in his ear and Fang suppressed a shiver. He nodded and pressed his wings further against his back as Max gripped the back of his t-shirt in one hand.
Fang heard a ripping sound as the fabric split apart and felt pressure like something being sliced through it. This repeated one more time and then Fang could feel air pulsing against his back. He extended his wings and sighed in relief as he was finally able to extend them fully. He hadn't felt this free in...ever.
"Better?" Max asked and Fang nodded, turning to look at her and stiffening in surprise. In her right hand was a short dagger. It's handle was black leather but the blade was silver and glinted dangerously in the sunlight. Fang back away slowly and Max rolled her eyes.
"If I wanted to hurt you I would have when your back was turned." Fang realized she was right but kept his eyes firmly on the knife. Max groaned and chucked the knife over the fence. Fang watched it soar over with disbelieving eyes then practically yelled, "Why did you do that!"
"Because I knew you wouldn't trust me with it."
"So give it to me!" Max rolled her eyes again and said, "Sure, give the knife to the bird kid who doesn't trust me to hold it. After I cut slits in his shirt so his wings could get free and did I hear a thank you? NO!"
Max stood up and glared at Fang who remained sitting. "Jeb told me if I cooperated then I would get a 'friend' like me so I wouldn't be alone here anymore. Well so much of a friend!" She turned and started to walk away but Fang stood up and grabbed her arm. She looked at him in surprise and he could feel his own shock mirrored on her face. Fang swallowed but held onto Max's arm.
"Sorry but it's just...I've always been alone. I've never had a friend. I don't know who this 'Jeb' is but he sounds okay. If he promised you a friend I don't wanna let your hopes down. I'm just...not used to being around someone who's not going for my throat all the time." Fang gulped in a breath of air. He'd talked more today than he ever had before and he'd never once said so many sentences at once. What was up with him today?
Max was looking at him with wide eyes and for a moment she seemed stunned. When she didn't speak Fang let go of her arm and walked back to the bench putting his head in his hands in defeat. His first chance at a friend and he'd ruined it. He was doomed to be alone at the School forever. He'd never get another chance like this for all his life however long that would be.
Fang stiffened as he realized that maybe with Max he would have stood a better chance of surviving. We could have watched each others backs, Fang thought sadly. Then he heard foot steps and looked up to see Max looking down at him with a small grin. "So, Fang, are you going to ask me to sit down or not?"
"So, Fang, are you going to ask me to sit down or not?" Fang's head snapped up and his eyes narrowed against the blinding afternoon sun. He couldn't see the face of the person who stood in-front of him but he didn't need to. He'd know that voice anywhere. "Max," Fang breathed in relief.
Her face suddenly became cast in shadow and he could make out her eyes, mouth, nose...every beautiful part of her. God, Fang thought, she looks so similar to that first day I saw her. "Have I really not changed that much?" Fang blinked in confusion before remembering Max could read minds now.
"You still look just as beautiful," Fang admitted truthfully. Max smiled and sat down, her legs on the opposite side of the bench as he so that she was facing him. "I was watching your memories of that day," she said suddenly. Fang blinked in surprise and nearly blushed. It felt weird for Max to know what he'd thought then...or now for that matter.
"Did you know I felt the same when I looked into your eyes?" Max asked softly. Fang looked up at her and his eyes connected with hers just like they had so many years ago. "No," he breathed. Max smiled softly and said, "Well I did." Fang nodded and opened his mouth to speak when suddenly Max's lips pressed softly to his. Fang responded to the kiss immediately but didn't push it. They stayed like that for several moments and then broke apart. It wasn't so much a passionate kiss, Fang thought, but one of reassurance.
Max pressed her for-head to his and they stared into each others eyes for a moment. Then Max said, "The others are waiting." Fang nodded but didn't move, neither did Max. Then a question entered his mind but Max answered before he could speak. "I brought us here because there is unfinished business to attended to." She explained and Fang frowned in confusion. Max sighed and when she spoke her voice was full of steel. "We need to finish this, once and for all, and the first step to that is destroying what started all this...for good."